Night shelter cries for attention

Crying for immediate attention, the night shelter for the homeless at Rose Garden on the National Highway-64 is lying in a dilapidated condition.

Constructed merely six months back with an aim to provide a roof to the migrant labourers, it has already become uninhabitable and migrant labourers still have to spend their nights on pavements.

The shelter portrays a hideous picture, as foul smell of the toilets is omnipresent in the entire compound. The toilets are in poor condition. All fans and power points are missing; electrical wires are lying naked, window panes and doors are broken. All one can spot is heaps of litter all around, with insects preying on them.

According to the information available, the structure was constructed at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. There are two permanent night shelters in the city, one behind Kali Mata Mandir and the other at Rose Garden.

Sources revealed that due to sheer negligence on the part of civic body authorities, the shelter has turned into a hub of miscreants and drug addicts. The authorities have not appointed any caretaker or guard for the shelter as a result within just six months the entire structure has become uninhabitable.

A daily walker to the park said, "We do not feel secure while strolling in the park, as bad elements have made the shelter as their perching spot for all their mischievous activities. Sending children to the park is no longer a safe option for us."

When the commissioner, municipal cooperation, PS Gill was contacted on the matter, he said that he was not aware of the situation of the shelter. It was not brought to his knowledge, however, he assured to look into the matter.